Adm. James G. Foggo, USN (Ret), became the chairman of MOAA’s board of directors Oct. 22 and soon issued his first address, praising the association’s accomplishments and inspiring members to remain committed to the cause. 

“I’m really pleased to report that MOAA continues to be the preeminent advocacy group representing the interests of our country's uniformed services,” Foggo said during the annual meeting of the membership, held in Alexandria, Va.

Foggo, who succeeds Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, USMC (Ret), added “we can’t rest on past accomplishments,” encouraging members to participate through MOAA’s Legislative Action Center and locally through MOAA councils and chapters.

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Adm. James G. Foggo, USN (Ret), chairman of MOAA’s board of directors, addresses the association's annual meeting of the membership Oct. 22 in Alexandria, Va.

MOAA headquarters is “actively preparing for an increasingly complex legislative and fiscal environment,” Foggo noted. “We expect the earned benefits of our uniformed services, veterans and retired members to be, quite frankly, targets. That’s why we’re here.”

Foggo will serve as chairman for the next two years, finishing his six-year term as an elected member of MOAA’s board of directors. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981. Over the course of his career, he served in a number of key command positions, including Submarine Squadron 6, Submarine Group 8, the U.S. 6th Fleet, Allied Striking and Support Forces NATO, commander of Naval Forces Europe, Naval Forces Africa, and Allied Joint Forces Command (NATO). Following his retirement from the Navy, he became dean of the Center for Maritime Strategy at the Navy League.

State of the Association 

MOAA President and CEO Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, USAF (Ret), updated the membership on key efforts including the association’s legislative priorities and the second TotalForce+ conference.

“This association – your association – is very strong as we focus every day on the work you expect us to do: Protecting the earned benefits of our uniformed services veterans, their families and surviving spouses,” Kelly said. “It’s something we do across all uniformed services and all ranks.”

[RELATED: Latest Advocacy News From MOAA]

Kelly detailed this year’s Advocacy in Action campaign, where more than 150 MOAA volunteers traveled to D.C., completing more than 330 congressional office visits, logging more than 1,200 hours of face-to-face engagement, and holding 59 meetings with members of Congress.

Kelly also previewed TotalForce+ set for Feb. 1-3 in National Harbor, Md. The conference, with a motto of “People Outrank Everything,” will bring together thousands of servicemembers, civilian personnel, veterans, and representatives from government, industry, and academia. The goal is to identify solutions in areas such as talent management, innovation, leadership development, and quality of life for all those who serve or have served, as well as their spouses, families, and survivors. 

Kelly told members TotalForce+ found a niche distinguishing itself from other defense conferences by focusing on the human element instead of hardware.

“It's strong people that make a strong national defense,” Kelly said.

In discussing MOAA’s membership efforts, Kelly noted outreach to military academy alumni organizations has yielded 2,200 new members. In addition, MOAA HQ has helped council and chapter leaders connect with 225,000 prospects to help grow their ranks.

Tennessee Council of Chapters President Lt. Col. Pete Warner, USAF (Ret), received the Chairman’s Award during the annual meeting for revitalizing the state’s Stones River Chapter as well as improving the effectiveness of the state council.

Adm. James G. Foggo, USN (Ret), left, and Capt. Frank J. Michael, USN (Ret), right, MOAA’s senior director of Affiliated Councils & Chapters, present the Chairman’s Award to Lt. Col. Pete Warner, USAF (Ret), president of the Tennessee Council of Chapters, during the annual meeting.  

On the charities side, The MOAA Foundation and MOAA Scholarship Fund merged this year to create MOAA Charities. As MOAA Charities, Kelly said, headquarters staff have been able to reduce administrative overhead and streamline financial, reporting, and governance systems. It means more staff time and more resources can be directed to scholarships, crisis relief, fundraising, and other critical programs.

[LEARN MORE: MOAA Charities]

New Board Members

Eight new board members, elected earlier this year, were sworn in Oct. 22:

Col. Stephen J. Bond, USA (Ret), served in a U.S. government Senior Executive Service/flag/general officer position as the director of the Intelligence Transition Team and senior U.S. intelligence advisor to the Iraqi ministries of Defense and Interior as well as the country’s counterterrorism force during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He currently serves as immediate past president and senior advisor for MOAA’s Florida Council of Chapters.

Lt. Gen. Deanna M. Burt, USSF (Ret), served as a career space operations officer whose roles included U.S. Space Command’s commander of Combined Force Space Component Command and vice commander of the Space Force’s Space Operations Command. She culminated her career as deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber, and nuclear. Burt is the first Space Force officer to serve on MOAA’s board.

Gen. Mark D. Kelly, USAF (Ret), is a command pilot with more than 6,000 flying hours, including over 800 combat hours in fighter aircraft. He completed his 38-year Air Force career as the commander of Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.

Lt. Col. Tara Leweling, USAF (Ret), served at the White House as acting senior director for European affairs and director for NATO and Western Europe on the National Security Council, where she advised the president on policy toward 49 countries and three international organizations. Following her military service, Leweling held senior executive roles at JPMorgan Chase, Allstate, and USAA. 

Lt. Gen. Jack L. Rives, USAF (Ret), in 2008, became the first judge advocate general in any service to serve in the grade of lieutenant general. From 2010 to 2023, Rives served as the executive director and chief operating officer of the American Bar Association.

Col. Jennifer E. Shaar, USMC (Ret), served in leadership assignments including headquarters and service battalion commander at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego; commander of Region-1 (Eastern Europe and Eurasia) within the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group; and service company commander supporting U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic.

Cmdr. Lincoln S. Smith, USNR (Ret), is a prominent military affairs advocate, public relations professional, and accredited communications expert. He is the current president of MOAA’s Public Affairs and Communication Professional Virtual Chapter.

Jeannie Stratis, Surviving Spouse, has served as surviving spouse liaison for MOAA’s Sun City Center (Fla.) Chapter since 2022. She received MOAA’s Surviving Spouse Liaison Excellence Award in 2024.